01↗
◫
PMO as a Service
Establish or strengthen the management practices that connect strategy to execution: governance, reporting, role clarity, and decision cadence.
LEADERSHIP FOR COMPLEX MISSIONS
When the path gets complicated, move forward.
Keystone-7 brings structure, clarity, and accountable execution to programs and portfolios that need to deliver.
Justin Margerum, PMP, CSM, ITILv4 LinkedIn ↗INTO THE STORM. FORWARD WITH PURPOSE.
01 / OUR POINT OF VIEW
Clarity is a
competitive advantage.
Complex work does not need more noise. It needs a clear operating rhythm, visible decisions, and people who take ownership of outcomes. We help leaders see what matters, resolve what is stuck, and keep teams moving.
02 / WHAT WE DO
Built for the work
that matters.
Practical support from portfolio direction through day-to-day delivery.
02↗
↗
Program Recovery
Get a clear view of a challenged program, stabilize immediate risks, rebuild the delivery plan, and restore confidence through measurable progress.
03↗
◎
Portfolio Leadership
Bring priorities, resources, financial visibility, and stakeholder expectations into one coherent view so leaders can act with confidence.
03 / FROM PROPOSAL TO KICKOFF
The PM belongs at
the proposal table.
The management approach is part of the solution. Involving a PM when the opportunity and solicitation are being shaped helps turn proposed commitments into a plan the delivery team can actually execute.
WHY START EARLY?
By award, staffing, scope, reporting, transition, and price assumptions are already set. The PM needs to understand and challenge them before submission—while there is still time to improve the plan.
Shape the delivery plan
Review the PWS, staffing model, schedule, workshare, risks, management approach, and reporting promises with capture and solution leads.
Turn promises into controls
Translate the proposal and contract into an initial baseline, staffing and onboarding plan, decision log, stakeholder map, and transition priorities.
Begin with shared expectations
Confirm roles, deliverables, milestones, dependencies, escalation paths, and the cadence for government and team communication.
FREE PLANNING RESOURCE
PMO staffing planner
Size an initial management team for a proposed program or portfolio. Change the inputs to see how the estimate responds.
INITIAL MANAGEMENT ESTIMATE—
Project managers
Day-to-day delivery, staffing, schedule, risks, and reporting
——
Program managers
Cross-workstream and contract coordination
——
Portfolio leadership
Priorities, financial visibility, and executive decisions across contracts
——
How this estimate is calculated
This is a Keystone-7 planning model, not a government staffing standard or a contractual requirement. It estimates weekly management hours from team size, sites, workstreams, subcontractors, contracts, reporting, and transition needs. Project manager capacity is set at 32 delivery hours a week; program manager capacity at 24; portfolio leadership at 20. Allocations round up to the next quarter FTE, then show the number of people needed if each role is staffed separately.
Project manager hours = 6 + 0.35 per delivery FTE + 3 per additional site + 3 per additional workstream + 2 per subcontractor + 3 per additional contract, plus 0/6/12 hours for reporting and 0/8/16 for transition. Program management is considered at 75+ delivery FTE, two or more contracts, or three or more workstreams; its hours = 4 + 0.08 per delivery FTE + 4 per additional contract + 2 per additional workstream + 2 per subcontractor, plus 0/2/4 for reporting and 0/4/8 for transition. Portfolio leadership is considered at three or more contracts or 200+ delivery FTE; its hours = 3 + 0.03 per delivery FTE + 3 per additional contract.
Use the result as a discussion starting point. Validate it against the solicitation, labor categories, budget, contract type, geographic spread, governance demands, and available shared leadership before committing staffing or price.
04 / HOW WE WORK
A path from
uncertainty to action.
01
Understand
Listen to the people closest to the work. Map commitments, constraints, risks, and decisions.
02
Align
Set priorities, clarify ownership, and create a plan leaders and teams can actually use.
03
Execute
Manage by exception, remove obstacles, and make progress visible through a disciplined cadence.
05 / WHEN TO BRING US IN
Call when the work
needs a clearer path.
Keystone-7 helps leaders make sense of delivery commitments, see emerging problems early, and put practical management controls in place.
Before the award
An opportunity is moving through proposal development, and you need a delivery lead to test the staffing, transition, schedule, risks, and management approach before submission.
When delivery drifts
Milestones, staffing, cost, or stakeholder expectations are no longer lining up—and leaders need a clear recovery path with owners and decisions.
Across a growing portfolio
Teams are working hard, but reporting, escalation, and accountability differ across contracts. You need a consistent view without slowing delivery.
A PRACTICAL FIRST STEP
Start with a focused assessment.
We review the commitments and current operating rhythm, speak with the people closest to delivery, and identify the decisions that will move the work forward.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
- A concise view of delivery health and immediate risks
- Clear ownership of priority actions and decisions
- A practical 30 / 60 / 90-day action plan
06 / FEDERAL EXPERIENCE
Experience across
complex missions.
Our founder’s federal program and portfolio experience spans civilian, defense, and intelligence missions, including work performed through prime and subcontract teams.
USDAU.S. Department of Agriculture
USPTOU.S. Patent and Trademark Office
NGANational Gallery of Art
NIGCNational Indian Gaming Commission
VADepartment of Veterans Affairs
DONDepartment of the Navy
DLADefense Logistics Agency
OUSDOffice of the Under Secretary of Defense
DOIDepartment of the Interior
NGA · ICNational Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
HHSDepartment of Health and Human Services
TSATransportation Security Administration
DIADefense Intelligence Agency
CIACentral Intelligence Agency
NRONational Reconnaissance Office
NSANational Security Agency
Organizations shown reflect individual experience and contract support. Their inclusion does not imply agency affiliation or endorsement of Keystone-7 Consulting. Ask about relevant experience for your mission.
JUSTIN MARGERUM
FOUNDER
FOUNDER
07 / ABOUT KEYSTONE-7
Experience that meets the moment.
Founded by Justin Margerum, Keystone-7 Consulting draws on more than two decades of experience across federal programs, financial audit, risk management, military and intelligence operations, enterprise IT, and complex service delivery.
Our work is grounded in the realities of delivery: people, contracts, risk, cost, and the decisions that connect them. We bring senior-level attention and a hands-on approach to every engagement.
Justin MargerumFounderLinkedIn ↗
08 / CONNECT
Let's find the way forward.
Tell us about the challenge, the mission, or the outcome you need to deliver. We’ll start with a conversation.